Harris takes lead over Trump after convention: Poll

Vice President Harris has taken a 4-point lead over former President Trump in a nationwide poll released Tuesday, several days after the Democratic convention.

The poll from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Political Communication, Public Opinion Research Lab and Mainstreet Research USA found Harris leading Trump, 47 percent to 43 percent.

Among likely voters, Harris, who replaced President Biden at the top of the party’s ticket late last month, led with 49 percent to the former president’s 45 percent, the poll found. 

The national survey, conducted just days following the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, had 53 percent of women and 45 percent of men favoring the Democratic nominee. The former president had 47 percent of support from men and 41 percent from women, according to the poll. 

The vice president had a wider lead with Hispanic voters (51 percent), Black voters (73 percent) and white voters with a college degree (57 percent). The former president maintained substantial support with white voters who don’t have a college degree, with 59 percent of those voters preferring him, the survey found. 

“Since her elevation to the top of the ticket, Vice President Harris has effectively appealed to women voters, and the gender gap has become more pronounced,” Luzmarina Garcia, assistant professor of political science at FAU, said in a statement. “Harris has also reestablished the Democratic Party’s advantage with minority voters.”

Harris held a double-digit lead among independent voters in the poll, winning 48 percent support compared to Trump’s 35 percent. The previous iteration of the poll found a substantially smaller gap between the two presidential candidates, with Harris getting 45 percent to Trump’s 43 percent of independent voters. 

“Trump is losing support from Independents compared to July, which could be a result of the Democratic Party convention and remains to be watched,” said Dukhong Kim, an associate professor of political science at FAU. “If this pattern persists, it will be difficult for Trump to maintain an advantage in the election.”

The poll was conducted Aug. 23-25 among 929 registered U.S. voters. The margin of error was 3.2 percentage points.